Defense is increasingly becoming the coin of the realm in Texas high school football.
We've discussed how offenses took a big leap in 2021 across the Lone Star State, but a hardy defense is still required to win at the highest levels. To wit: 11 of the 12 UIL state champions in 2021 had a scoring defense that ranked in the top 10 of their classification — only 1A Division I champ Westbrook (12th) was an outlier.
So if defense is still required to win a title, which teams made the biggest strides in that department in 2021? Let's take a look at who improved their defense the most from 2020 to 2021.
The 25 Most-Improved Texas High School Football Defenses
| Team (Record) | Class | 2021 PAPG | 2020 PAPG | PAPG Delta |
| Lingleville (6-3) | 1A | 31.6 | 64.9 | -33.3 |
| Roscoe (9-2) | 2A | 18.5 | 47.5 | -29.1 |
| Mission Memorial (8-4) | 5A | 17.4 | 43.2 | -25.8 |
| Bluff Dale (6-3) | 1A | 32.6 | 56.6 | -24.0 |
| Bandera (6-5) | 4A | 21.0 | 45.0 | -24.0 |
| Stephenville (16-0) | 4A | 14.9 | 37.8 | -22.9 |
| Forney (7-4) | 5A | 23.9 | 46.0 | -22.1 |
| Tioga (5-6) | 2A | 25.5 | 47.3 | -21.9 |
| San Antonio Cole (5-5) | 3A | 19.8 | 41.1 | -21.3 |
| Darrouzett (1-9) | 1A | 39.8 | 61.1 | -21.3 |
| Woodsboro (3-7) | 2A | 27.3 | 48.5 | -21.2 |
| Joshua (3-7) | 5A | 30.8 | 51.9 | -21.1 |
| Stratford (15-1) | 2A | 10.5 | 30.9 | -20.4 |
| Carrizo Springs (10-1) | 4A | 9.6 | 29.6 | -20.0 |
| Luling (2-8) | 3A | 26.0 | 45.0 | -19.0 |
| Marlin (11-4) | 2A | 15.3 | 34.0 | -18.7 |
| Denver City (6-5) | 3A | 14.3 | 32.9 | -18.6 |
| Gordon (10-3) | 1A | 26.9 | 45.4 | -18.5 |
| Humble Summer Creek (10-4) | 6A | 19.7 | 38.1 | -18.4 |
| Houston Waltrip (1-8) | 5A | 25.7 | 43.8 | -18.1 |
| Paducah (4-6) | 1A | 38.2 | 56.1 | -17.9 |
| San Antonio Kennedy (7-4) | 5A | 19.4 | 37.2 | -17.8 |
| Tolar (10-3) | 2A | 18.5 | 36.2 | -17.6 |
| Spur (10-2) | 1A | 38.8 | 56.4 | -17.6 |
Six-man football's Lingleville lap the fied to claim the crown of the state's most improved defense, as the Cardinals allowed a stunning 33.3 fewer points per game in 2021 than in 2020 — they went from literally dead-last in 1A Division I in scoring defense to 13th overall. The emergence of all-district linebacker Joseph Briseno helped fuel a remarkable turnaround for coach Kenneth Davis' bunch.
Roscoe checks in second, as 11-man's most improved defense. The Plowboys allowed 29.1 fewer points per game this season, thanks to defensive back Antonio Aguayo, defensive lineman Reese Kiser and a strong supporting cast. Down in the Rio Grande Valley, Class 5A Mission Veterans Memorial lays claim to big-school's most improved defense, and it helped in the win column, too — the Patriots went from 1-5 in 2020 to 8-4 in 2021.
Speaking of defense sparking a big improvement, 4A Division I state champion Stephenville rode the state's sixth-most improved defense to a state title, while Stratford did the same in 2A Division II with Texas' 12th-most improved unit.
Humble Summer Creek made the biggest defensive improvement in Class 6A; Bandera earned the nod in Class 4A; and impressive San Antonio Cole boasted 3A's most improved defense.
On the other side of this conversation: Pharr Valley View (+44.4 points allowed per game), San Antonio YMLA (+40.6), Houston Milby (+39), Dallas Jefferson (+38.9) and Monte Alto (+37.8) took the biggest hit defensively year over year.
This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.
Don't Miss Any Exclusive Coverage!